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I . The purpose of this paper is to propose the measurement of scalp hair diameter as a useful index of protein synthesis in the management of cases of malnutrition.2. Observations on scalp hair from ten control infants showed that each hair tapered very gradually towards its free end.3. Observations on scalp hair from twenty-six infants with kwashiorkor showed that each hair narrowed towards the follicle; the effect was statistically significant. 4. After I month's treatment for kwashiorkor, scalp hair thickened towards the follicle and the effect was statistically significant.5 . Serial measurements of the greatest diameter at 0.5 mm intervals along the hair shaft had a main trend which was related to nutritional history.6 . The period of time over which narrowing of the hair shaft took place was calculated from the rate of hair growth and the serial diameter measurements: this time was always longer than the history of kwashiorkor.

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Hair samples were obtained from the scalps of 5 infants with kwashiorkor and 5 matched control infants on a balanced diet.The greatest diameters of the hairs were measured in their natural state, ethanol, xylol, water and air. The diameters of the kwashiorkor hairs were 8 to 22% larger in water than in air while the diameters of the control hairs were 5 to 8% larger. This indicates that the stability of the cross links between the polypeptide chains of hair proteins is reduced in kwashiorkor.The mass per unit area of cryostat sections of hair was estimated by electron probe x-ray emission microanalysis. No difference was demonstrable between the density of proteins in kwashiorkor and control hair. It is concluded that the soft texture of kwashiorkor hair is not associated with a reduction in the density of its proteins.